Living Life for the First Time
by soy.saucE
Summary: After being abused by their father for so long, Kagome and Souta finally has a chance at a normal life. New city, new school, new people, new life. Having friends for the first time, they will help Kagome over come any obstacles and stick by her side through thick and thin no matter what... won't they? Ban/Kag [I do not own Inuyasha] Reviews would be lovely and delightful.
1. Home, sweet home

It's a brand new day in the beautiful, busy city of Tokyo. The weather was said to be sunny all day with puffy clouds in the sky and a cool breeze to top it off. People were busily walking, running, riding by a flight of stairs to get to work or school.

If you went up the stairs, you would see shrine and an old man with a broom in hand, sweeping up the brown, fallen leaves.

"Damn this September weather with the falling leaves!" the old man complained waving the broom in the air. "Leaves shouldn't be falling yet! Stupid global warming crap, making me sweep so soon."

"I can help you out if you'd like," a teenage boy said as he walked from the pray house towards the old man. He was wearing a black and blue track suit, indicating that he had be running.

"Oh no, no, no," the old man said. "I couldn't have you help me, I'm sure you're very bus-"

"I insist," the teenager said. "I wouldn't offer my help if didn't have time for it."

"Well that's very kind of you, young man," the old man said as he handed the broom to the boy. "What are you doing up here anyway? I don't see many kids your age around the shrine anymore."

"I went for a run and I wanted to challenge myself to the massive flight of stairs," he said with a smile. "After I came up here, I decided to take a small rest and look around. I hope you don't mind."

"Oh not at all, the shrine is open to the public," the old man said with a gentle smile. He then noticed something on the boy. "What is that marking on your forehead?"

"This thing?" the boy pointed to a purple/blue mark in the shape of a four pointed star. "It's a birthmark. My mother use to make fun of me, saying that I hit my head on the corner of the table and a fairy used star dust to heal it in a shape of a star."

"Is it a demon marking?"

"I'm not sure," the boy said with a finger to his chin. "As far as I know, I'm all human."

"Back in my day, I would've tried to purify anything that related to demons. But they're everywhere now, and I've grown use to them," he said and cracked his back. "I'm getting to old of this."

"Well, it's a good thing I came by and helped you out. All the leaves are swept," the boy said and handed back the broom.

"Ah, yes. Thank you for all your help," the old man said. "What's your name?"

"It's Bankotsu, sir. Pleasure to meet you," Bankotsu said with a slight bow.

"The pleasure is all mine, my boy. And please, none of that 'sir' stuff. Just call me Kenji," he said and Ban nodded. "Would you like some tea? Or do you have to get going?"

"Sure, I have the first period off only for today, so I have some free time."

"Wonderful! I'll even read you your fortune," Kenji said as walked behind the shrine and towards the house. Bankotsu followed him to the small house and up the stairs to the porch where a low table and pillows were laid out. "Just have a seat and I'll be right back."

"Would you like some help?"

"That's very kind of you. But you've done enough and I can manage," Kenji said and he walked into the house. Ban checked out his long braid, to make sure it was still intact from his run, as he waited for Kenji to return. A few moments later, Kenji came back with a tray of two small tea pots, two cups, an assortment of different colored teas, and a small plate of cookies. "Choose any tea you like."

Ban looked at each tea for a brief moment before saying, "this one." He held out a violet bag that was filled with earl grey tea.

Kenji nodded and begun preparing the young boy's tea. "Let this steep for a few minutes, but don't drink it until you've followed my instructions," Kenji said and Bankotsu nodded. "Help yourself to some cookies."

Bankotsu reached for a cookie that was filled with yellow jam and decorated with white glazing. It was a little sticky to his touch, but he didn't mind. He took a bite and his eyes lit up.

"These are fantastic!"

"Well, that's good to hear," Kenji said with a small chuckle. "My granddaughter would have a fit if I didn't get her recipe right."

"Your granddaughter came up with these?"

"Oh, yes. That girl is one hell of a baker," Kenji said as he picked up a cookie for himself. "These are one of her favorites; lemon almond short bread cookies."

"I could eat these all day. These are the best cookies I've ever had," Ban said as he reached for another.

"Help yourself; I've made plenty of them. My grand children are coming over later today, that's why I made them," Kenji explained. "I believe your tea is ready. Turn the cup half way to the right with your left hand. Take a small sip, and then turn it to left with your right hand three times. Now drink most of your tea until there's a little left with the leaves. And swirl it to the right twice. Good, now hand it to me."

Bankotsu handed the old man his tea cup and looked at him as he studied the cup. "How long have you been reading people's fortune?"

"Long time, my boy," Kenji said. "Hmm, I see a girl with long black hair, and grey eyes with a splash if violet."

"Grey eyes? That doesn't sound legit."

"Let me see your left hand," Kenji said and Ban held out his left hand for him to see. "Your fate/destiny line is crossed with your love line. Looks like you'll be running into the love of your life very soon."

Ban scoffed and said, "I highly doubt it, I'm not interested in a relationship. All girls want out of me is my money."

"You may not be interested, but that won't stop fate. Let us go to the fortune shop." They got up and walked a little ways to the shop in silence. "Take this and shake out 4 sticks and lay them down in order," Kenji said once they entered the shop and handed Ban a container.

Bankotsu did as he was told. "13, 22, 7 and 18."

"Good, now you can pick out the paper to each number. All together the words have something to do with your fate," Kenji explained as Ban picked out the papers.

"Black beads and blue stars? What's that suppose to mean?" Ban asked with a confused look in his eyes.

"You'll have to figure that out for yourself, my boy," Kenji said with a twinkle in his eyes.

"I don't think I'll ever figure this out," Ban said with a slight chuckle he then checked his cell phone for the time. "Oh, crap! I have to get going! Sorry to leave in such a hurry, Kenji. I'll see you around sometime!" Ban gave the old man a wave as he started to jog towards the stairs.

"We'll see each other soon, Bankotsu, very soon."

Bankotsu jogged at a quick pace towards his house, which was about 4 or 5 blocks away from the shrine. He was about half way to his home, so he started jogging quicker because he didn't want to be late for his second period. He rounded the corner and ran right into someone, making the both of them fall to the ground.

"Sis, are you alright?" a young boy asked as he helped his sister back up onto her feet.

"I'm ok. Thanks a lot, squirt," the older sibling said. She looked at Ban, who was still on the ground and held out her hand. "Sorry about that."

"You should be sorry," Ban said as he smacked her hand away and got up on his own. "Because of you, I'm running late," he said as he dusted himself off, glaring at the girl in front of him. He quickly checked her out from head to toe.

Her hair, very long and dark, was tied into a high pony tail. She was wearing black shorts, a grey shirt and converse shoes were on her feet. Her skin was flawless, smooth, healthy, and clear with a slight pick hue on her cheeks. Her eyes were currently being protected by a pair of sunglasses.

"Excuse me?" the girl asked with anger in her tone. "I should be sorry? You're the one who ran into me! I only apologized because I was being polite! You should be the sorry one, you jerk!" she yelled as she flung her arm down, not noticing a rattling sound. "I even scraped the palm of my hand because you pushed me over!"

"I didn't push you over! Why don't you take your stupid sunglasses off and watch where you're going next time!?" Bankotsu yelled back as he jabbed his finger onto her lens.

"You dick!" she cried and she took off her glasses to clean it with her shirt. She looked up to him and glared, not noticing the surprised look on his face.

Bankotsu just stared at her. 'Grey eyes.. with violet speckles. What the hell?'

"What the hell was that for?" the girl asked as she place her sunglasses back on. "At least I don't have to see your stupid face clearly with these on."

"Come on, sis. We have to get going," her brother spoke up and started pulling her arm.

"Alright, alright." The siblings started walking around Bankotsu and the girl noticed his eyes following her. "Quit staring and get going. You're late, remember, jerk face?" she said and the two rounded the corner and walked away. Ban just stared at the corner where they disappeared to.

"Grey eyes? Seriously? That's just a coincidence," he said to himself and started to walk away, but he stopped when he noticed something on the ground. He walked over to it and picked it up. "A bracelet?" he questioned and walked around the corner to see if the siblings were close by. They were not on the street so he shrugged and walked towards the garbage can. "Into the trash you go."

Just as he was about to drop the thing into the bin, he noticed something. Every person in a one block radius looked up in confusion as they heard "oh, you've got to be kidding me!" coming from Bankotsu. People who witnessed his outburst gave him strange looks, and a mother steered her son away from him.

"Don't look at him, Fuuya," the mother said as she rushed off with her son.

"No way in hell that this is possible!" Ban cried out, ignoring the stares of by passers. There in his hand laid a black beaded bracelet with a blue, 4 pointed star on each bead. "No, no, no way! This has to be another coincidence! It has to be!" Ban started to freak out. "Just toss it out! Just do it!" he told himself as he held it over the trash can. But for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to drop the bracelet.

"I'm late, I'm late, oh shit I'm late!" a random stranger chanted as he ran pass Ban.

"Crap! I'm already late!" Bankotsu remembered and ran home as fast as he could, shoving the bracelet into his pocket. When he got home, Ban quickly undressed, showered, and changed for school. He left soon after but not before hearing his older brother yell out to him.

"Don't forget to do your laundry today because I'm not doing it for you!" a feminine voice yelled out.

"Yeah, yeah!" Ban replied as he rushed out the door. "Bye, Jakotsu!"

* * *

While Bankotsu is at school, let us focus on the siblings, shall we? Those two were walking towards the stair case that Ban had come from. They stopped in front of the very long set of stairs and the sister whimpered.

"I forgot how many stairs there are," she complained. "Souta, carry me!"

"You're the older sibling, Kagome! You carry me!"

"But I don't wanna! Grandfather should install an escalator here. It's such a pain to walk up these," Kagome said with a sigh. "Let's get going, squirt."

By the time the siblings made it to the top of the stairs, Souta collapsed on the ground and Kagome was slightly bent over with her hands resting on her knees. Both were panting like mad crazy.

"Holy crap," Kagome said in between breaths. "No matter how often I work out, I can never get use to these stairs."

"I know what you mean," Souta said. "We can jog for an hour straight without any problems. But this is brutal."

"Try being my age and going up and down these stairs," Kenji said as he walked up to them.

"Grandpa!" Souta yelled with excitement and got up to hug the old man.

"Boy, you've grown up a whole lot, Souta," he said and turned to Kagome.

She politely gave him a bow and said, "Hello, grandfather."Kenji walked over to her, with Souta still hugging him, and pulled the both of them close.

"I'm so glad you two are safe," he said with an arm around each sibling. "I was so worried."

"We're here now, grandfather. We'll be safe from now on."

"Indeed, now let's go inside and get you two unpacked." The three of them started heading for the house behind the shrine. They entered the house and kids sighed out of happiness. It's been so very, very long since they've been in this house and it has always been their safe haven.

"Home, sweet home."

* * *

Meanwhile at Tokyo High School, Bankotsu was currently in his History class with his best friend, Sesshoumaru. They were currently working on a project together but his head wasn't all there at the moment. He was thinking about the old man's words. A girl with grey/violet eyes and long black hair, black beads and blue stars, and running into the love of his life. He met a girl with long black hair and stunning grey/violet eyes. She had a black beaded bracelet with blue stars, and he literally ran into her.

'This is just too messed up. It's just a coincidence, it has to be! If the old man witnessed what happened, he's be saying "I told you so!" But just because I ran into HER, doesn't mean that SHE'S the love of my life.' Ban thought to himself.

"Hey, Ban."

'It's not like Kenji said that the girl with the grey/violet eyes is meant for me. He just 'saw' her in my tea reading.'

"Bankotsu?"

'He's just crazy, that's all. Fortune tellers are just a bunch of liars out for money. But then again, he didn't ask for money.' Bankotsu was so lost in his own thoughts, that he didn't hear his friend calling for him. Out of nowhere, he was smacked on the back of his head. "What the hell was that for, Sesshoumaru!?"

"You were not answering me," his friend said calmly. "We're supposed to be working on our project, remember?"

"Oh, right. Sorry," Ban apologized. "I was just thinking."

"About what, may I ask?" Sessho asked giving him a curious look.

"Something stupid an old, crazy fortune teller told me this morning."

"Fortune teller? Interesting, tell me more."

So Bankotsu proceeded to tell the events of his morning. How he went out for a jog and ended up helping Kenji. He mentioned how he had his palm read, the tea reading, and the fortunes from the shop. He then told his friend about the fortunes the old man have given him, and also about the girl he ran into soon after. He explained how she was annoying, rude and completely out of line with him.

"But here's the weird thing," Ban said, "she has grey eyes with bits of violet, and also a black beaded bracelet with a blue star on the beads."

"And you ran into her?" Sessho asked and his friend nodded as a reply. "Hn, that is very interesting."

"It's just a coincidence," said Ban, trying to convince himself more than his friend.

"There are no such things as coincidences, only the inevitable. Everything happens for a reason, Bankotsu," Sesshoumaru said wisely and his friend scoffed.

"Don't be such a smart ass, Sess. What are the chances of her being 'The One'?"

"What are the chances of you running into a Japanese girl with grey/violet eyes? What are the chances of her having a bracelet with black beads and blue stars? What are the chances of basically everything the fortune teller said coming true after leaving his place? What are the-"

"Alright, alright enough already!" Bankotsu said, clearly annoyed at his smirking friend. "Let's just start on our project." His friend nodded in agreement and opened his text book. Even though Ban was supposed to be working at the moment, he couldn't help but wonder about the girl from this morning. 'I wonder what she's doing right now.'

* * *

"I'm so glad we didn't have a lot to bring. Less stuff to unpack!" Kagome said.

"Yeah, but that means we have to go shopping, Kagome," Souta told her.

"At least we a bit of money to get us by. I'll have to look for a job soon, you know, to help grandfather out."

"I know, I want to help him out too. After all, he's our only family we have now."

"You younglings don't have to help me out," their grandpa said as he walked into Kagome's room with tea and cookies. "I was doing just fine before you two got here. I'm healthy as an ox!"

"Whatever you say, grandpa," Souta said as he poured tea for everyone.

"You know it's true. By the way, Kagome?" Kenji turned to his granddaughter. "These are for you," he said as he handed her a set of key. "And you as well, Souta."

"House keys and.. what are these for?"

"For you, Souta, my vespa. And my car for Kagome."

"What! Why does she get the car and I get the vespa!? That's not fair!"

"Because she's older. And would you rather have nothing at all?"

"Thank you, grandpa! I love you!" Souta said quickly having a change in heart.

"Grandfather, are you sure about the car? How will you get around?" Kagome asked with uncertainty.

"Yes, my dear. I haven't used it in quite some time, and everything I need is in walking distance. You two just have to go down to the registry and get them under your name," Kenji explained.

"Oh, let's do that now, Kagome!" Souta said as he rushed out of her bedroom. Kagome stood up and hugged her grandfather.

"Thank you so much, grandfather," she said and Souta came running back into her room to hug the old man as well.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Souta chanted.

So the siblings made their way to the registry while their grandpa stayed at home. Souta was getting anxious while they were waiting in line. Can you blame him? Being only 15 and getting a vespa, not having to bus to school and sit next to smelly strangers. It's freaking awesome! His sister, being as calm as ever, was excited on the inside. They both know that their grandpa was cool when they were kids, but not this cool!

After the registry, they left with their plates in Kagome's backpack and started walking home. The area they were in wasn't so far from home, maybe 15 to 20 blocks or so. They wondered around, window shopping, talking, laughing. Then Souta spotted a cafe.

"Let's go there, Kagome," he said as he pointed to the green and purple cafe. Kagome didn't have time to answer because she was dragged by her little brother towards the building.

They opened the door and walked into the cafe, a little bell rung signalling the workers that they had entered. It was really dead inside since people were still in school and at work.

"Hi, there!" a feminine voice called out from behind the counter. A head popped up and a girlish looking male smiled. "Welcome, welcome! What can I get for you guys today?"

"I'll have a medium apple cider, please," Souta ordered after looking at the menu. Kagome looked at the menu and the pastries the cafe had to offered.

"May a I have a soy chai latte and a slice of red velvet cake, please?" Kagome asked.

"My, aren't you a polite one. What size for the chai?" the he/she asked.

"Medium as well."

"Alright, that will be $8.50, please. Thank you. Have a seat and I'll bring it out for you two."

They made their way over to a table by the window and took a seat. Souta was looking around the shop and Kagome found a small menu on the table.

'The Sneaky Snake Cafe and Bakery?' Kagome thought to herself. She flipped through the two paged menu and saw that they did custom cakes and treats. "Interesting."

"What is?" the stranger asked as he placed their order on the table. "Here you guys go!"

"I didn't think this place was a bakery as well," Kagome answered as she took a sip of her latte.

"Oh, yea! I don't like ordering from other bakeries for pastries when I can easily make them myself. It's a lot cheaper doing it this way, but it takes so much time. Especially when I get a custom order," he said as he plopped down on the seat beside Kagome.

Kagome took a good look at the she man that say next to her. His hair was semi short and dark, and he has a slender figure for a male. Markings under his eyes like long upside down triangles and, holy crap, lipstick.

'I can't believe I didn't notice that before,' Kagome thought. "So, I take it that you're the owner?"

"You bet! My name is Jakotsu, Jak for short," he said with a bright smile that made Kagome giggle.

"I'm Kagome, and that my little brother, Souta," she introduced.

"Yo!" Souta said with a mouth full of cake.

"Souta! That's rude and that was my cake!"

"Too bad," Souta said as he swallowed the last piece. "Besides, yours is better."

"Souta!" Kagome stared at him in disbelief.

"What! It's true!"

Kagome turned to Jak and apologized. "I'm so, so sorry about my brother's rude behavior! He's usually well mann-"

"You bake?" Jak asked, ignoring the insult and apology.

"Umm, yes?" Kagome answered uncertainly.

"What can you do?"

"Uh, I can-"

"She can bake almost anything you can think of!" Souta said proudly. "She decorates, designs, pipes, sculpts figurines and even candy molding!"

"Really now?" Jak asked with total curiosity. "Do you have any pictures of you work?" Kagome nodded and handed him her phone after pulling up her pictures.

Jak looked through her photos and gasped. He saw pictures of small kid's cakes with simple picture drawn with icing, cupcakes with frosting and fondant flowers on top. Tiered cakes with elegant pipe work, tiered cakes wrapped in fondant, misshaped and uneven leveled cakes with colorful icing or fondant. Cakes carved into objects, and even themed cakes such as a Sleepy Hallow cake

He looked through more pictures and saw little figurines made of fondant, random intricate sculptures made from pulled and blown sugar. Small pastries and desserts were designed and plated so beautifully, that he thought it was from a 5 star restaurant.

"You really did all these?" Jak asked as he past the phone back and Kagome nodded. "What culinary school did you attend to?"

"Actually, I'm still in high school," Kagome said honestly. "Most of that stuff I learned online and practiced on my spare time at school."

"Are you serious!? You did all that without any expert training!?" Jak asked and Kagome nodded once again. "I'm so jealous! I'm still trying to cover a whole cake with fondant with it ripping on me!"

"It's not that bad," Kagome said with a giggle.

"Work for me," Jak said with a serious tone in his girly voice.

"W-what?"

"Work for me! You've got an amazing talent and I'm not letting it go to waste!" He grabbed her hands into his very soft ones. "Please, please, please!"

"But I'm still in school."

"You can work any days you want after school, and weekends. I'll give you time off for exams and finals if you should need it."

"Are you seriously offering me a job right now without an interview?"

"You bet your ass I am! Your brother can even work up front if he wants to."

"Oh my god, Kagome! Just say yes already! It saves us the trouble of looking for a job and interviews," Souta said trying to convince his sister.

"So, we can work whatever days we want after school, and weekends if we wanted to?" she asked and Jak nodded. "And we'll get time off for projects and finals if needed?" Nod. "What about the hours and pay?"

"It'll be different for the both of you. Souta will get less pay, but may have longer hours. You'll be getting more pay because of all the work and designs you may have to do. But you get to leave when everything is done and designed for, so you might leave early or stay late," Jak explained. "We also require at least a week's notice for custom cakes and two weeks for any cakes that has to be carved, or that is three tiered or higher.

"Customers will book a consultation with a designer, and you'll sit down with them and talk about what they want. Depending on how big the design will be, you can work on it yourself or we can work together. On slow days, we make treats for the cafe that lasts for the next two days. You could always come in the early morning if you have to finish a design."

"Whoa, that was more details than what I was expecting. Dress code?"

"I'll provide you guys with uniforms except shoes. Both you and Souta will need black shoes here."

"And what about the schedule? Will it be constant or random?"

"Whatever you like. If you want a constant one, that's not a problem. You can come in on your days off if you want a bit more cash. Just give me a heads up if you do."

Kagome reviewed everything that Jakotsu had explained and looked to her brother. "What do you think, Souta?"

"I think it sounds freaking awesome!"

"Ok, we'll take you up on your offer!"

"Sweet cakes!" Jak screamed out in joy and jumped up. "I'll be right back with the paper work!" He quickly ran to the back of the cafe and into his office, returning with some papers and two pens. He handed it to the siblings and they started putting down the information and gave it back to Jak once they were done.

"Alright! Any questions about anything else?" Jak asked the siblings.

"No, but there is something we should tell you," Kagome started.

"We won't be coming into work looking like this," Souta said as he circled his and Kagome's face with his fingers.

"I don't understand. What do you guys mean by that?' Jak asked the siblings with a confused look. The siblings then started to tell Jakotsu their life story. A story that you'll find out about later on.

* * *

While Kagome and Souta were telling their tale to their new boss, Bankotsu was having a lousy day at school. In every class he was scolded for day dreaming, at lunch a kid bumped into him and spilled chicken soup all over his clothes. And now, he was walking outside towards the dojo when suddenly a soccer ball comes flying at him, hitting him on the head. What a great day, eh? He walked into the dojo to take his semi anger out on a punching bag and to clear his head. But no matter how long or how hard he was hitting the bag, he could not get the girl out of his mind. Deciding to give up an hour later, he packed up his stuff and headed home. As he was walking, his stomach growled.

'A snack wouldn't hurt,' he thought as he took a small detour towards the cafe his brother owns. He walked in and stood in the small line and looked around. There were students sitting in groups talking, other students working on their homework. Business men and women relaxing and enjoying a cup of coffee while typing on their laptop. As he made his way to the front of the line, he was greeted by a worker.

"Hey, there! What can I get for you today?" the girl asked.

"A blueberry danish and a small, soy chai latte," Ban ordered and the girl nodded, writing down his drink on a cup then passing it to the barista.

"Mai!" called out the voice of his gay brother.

"Yes, Jak?" the girl replied.

"Don't worry about his bill. That's my adorable kid brother! He can have whatever his heart desires!" Jak said with a big smile and the girl nodded, handing Ban his danish.

"You know I am capable of paying, Jak," Ban said as he moved over to the counter where his drink will be given to him.

"I know, but what kind of brother would I be if I made my own little brother pay at my shop?"

"A douche bag one?" Ban asked jokingly as he grabbed his drink and placed a lid on top.

"Exactly! So I finally found someone who can design with me!"

"Yea? Is he any good?" Ban asked as he bit into his treat.

"She," Jak corrected, "and she's awesome! Very polite and her brother is adorable!"

"You hired siblings?" Bankotsu asked wondering if they were the ones he saw this earlier today. 'What are the chances of that?' he thought as he finished his treat.

"Yup! They seem like great kids, I can't wait!" Jak said excitedly. "I gotta get back to work; I'll see you at home."

"Alright, see you later," Ban said and walked away with his drink in hand.

"Don't forget to do your laundry!" Jak yelled out. "And you smell like chicken!" Ban just waved his arm and walked out.

When he made it home, Ban headed for his room. He opened the door and stepped inside his semi messy room. It wasn't that bad, just clothes here and there. Ban dropped his bag and stripped down to a nude.

"I'll do my laundry after my shower," he said to himself as he made his way to the bathroom door. After a quick shower, he changed into his silky batman boxers and proceeded to pick up his dirty clothes and place them into the empty hamper. He lazily tossed his jogging suit into the hamper and the bracelet he forgot he had, fell out of the pocket and landed on his bed.

Bankotsu walked out of his room, hamper in hand, and made his way to the laundry closet down the hall and placed his dirty clothes into the wash. He heard yelling coming from downstairs and he knew that some of his brothers were fighting again. He returned to his room and dropped the hamper on the floor. He stretched his boy and flopped onto his bed, belly first, landing on the beaded bracelet.

"What the hell?" he asked himself as he reached for the hard object he landed on. He stared at the bracelet that was in his hand, "I totally forgot about this."

For the next few minutes he stared at it, moved it from hand to hand, tossed it into the air, and wondered what to do with it. He looked at his garbage can and back to the bracelet, trying to force himself to throw it out, but something inside of him wouldn't let allow him to do so. He slipped it over his left hand and observed it.

'Hm, not bad. I guess it wouldn't hurt to keep it. I'll return it to her if I ever see her again.'

His mind slipped from the bracelet to the rightful owner of the object. He was wondering where she was at the moment, what she was doing right now, if she lives nearby, what school was she from, what she was wearing or not wearing at the very moment. A blush appeared on his cheeks as he thought more about her looks and body. He sighed as he felt himself stiffening up; he had no one to blame but himself about it. So he walked into his bathroom and closed the door.


	2. Freedom and Trust

A girl sighed as she stared at her reflection in her bedroom mirror. "This is so weird," she said to herself as she fixed her bob cut sandy brown hair, she then looked around on the dresser for her black square glasses and placed them over her maple brown eyes. She straightened and smoothed out her semi large, baggy-ish grey sweater that went down to her mid thighs and buttoned up her black jeans. Clipping her Pikachu seat belt belt together, she took one last look at herself and sighed once more, leaving her room afterwards.

Out in the hallway she saw her little brother walking out from his room. His long milk chocolate brown hair, that reached his mid back, was tied into a low pony tail and his hazel eyes looked directly at her. Suddenly the siblings started laughing at each other.

"Oh my god! You look so ridiculous with long hair, Souta!"

"At least I don't look like a nerd!" The siblings laughed for a bit longer. "I can't believe we have to go through with this."

"I know, but we have to respect Inutashio's wishes. He is the chairmen after all," Kagome reminded her younger brother. To explain why Inutashio wants them to disguise themselves, we'd have to go back to the beginning of their childhood.

* * *

When Kagome was a young girl, she had the most perfect family; a loving father, a caring mother, and a baby brother on the way. Of course being the only child at the moment, she was a little princess to the family, but she couldn't wait for her brother to be born.

Her father would tend to his adoring wife whenever she needed anything; making sure she stayed comfortable and ate healthy. He would also play with his daughter whenever she wanted to. From bath time, to story time, he would do anything for his little girl. Then by the time Kagome was 3 years old, Souta was born and the family couldn't be any more perfect. For the next 5 years the family was in happy harmony.

But when Kagome was about 8 years old and Souta had just turned 5, their father started to change. He started to come home late, becoming more distant, his love and affection towards his family started to die down. Then the drinking started, along with the smoking, cheating and gambling. His attitude and behaviour had gotten out of hand that he was fired from his job, forcing his wife to work 3 to 4 jobs at once to pay for the bills, his booze, his hookers, and his gambling debts.

The beatings on their mother started soon after when he wasn't satisfied with the amount of money she was bringing in. And while their mother was away at work, Kagome would be at the receiving end of the beatings. And no matter how much it hurt, Kagome refused to let that monster touch her little brother. She promised herself that she'd do anything to protect Souta.

Since their mother worked so many jobs at once, she was rarely home, so Kagome taught herself how to cook simple foods and do the laundry for family. She then got the idea to be in after school clubs so she and her brother would be safe for another hour or so. Kagome was so grateful that her school offered a preschool/babysitting program for young kids like Souta. She knew he was ok while she was in class.

When Souta started first grade, Kagome had him sign up for after school activities. While he was kicking around the soccer ball in the field, she would either be in gymnastics or music, and when they got home, Kagome would be beaten. Of course her father would only hit her where it can be covered.

One day, when Kagome was a little over 11 years old, her father was tired of beating on his daughter, and seeing his wife wasn't home at the moment, he made a move to hit Souta. Kagome, being exhausted, could do nothing but watch and listen to her brother's screams and cries.

"Stop it," she whispered as she started pushing herself up from the cold, hard floor. Her father didn't stop. "Stop it," she said a bit louder, but he still didn't stop. "Stop it!" she screamed and ran over to her brother and pushed her father away. A bright purple light came from her hands as she pushed the drunken man down.

She quickly picked up her little brother and ran to their bedroom, blocking the door with the dresser after she placed Souta down on the bed. She went to him after and checked him over and over again.

"What was that light thing you did?" Souta asked suddenly with a sniffle.

"I don't know," she said truthfully. "Are you ok?" she asked and her brother nodded.

A week after the light show, Kagome's history teacher had briefly talked about the feudal era, demons, mikos and monks. After class, she went up to her teacher asking if mikos and monks still exist in today's world. Her teacher nodded, but explained that they are very rare now and only a handful of people have the powers of a monk or miko.

Curious, her teacher asked why Kagome was so interested on the topic. Kagome hesitated for a moment, but then explained that weird stuff happened and lights appeared from her hands when she gets scared, making sure to leave out the fact about her father abusing the family. Her teacher thought for a moment and then placed her hand upon Kagome's head. She concentrated for a moment, and a red glow came from her hand, making Kagome feel relaxed and safe.

"Kagome, it seems like you're a miko," her teacher said with a smile.

"I am? How can you tell, Kaede sensei?" Kagome asked.

The middle aged women smiled and said, "Because I'm one, too. But this will be our little secret, ok?" Kaede sensei asked with a wink and Kagome could only nod. "Good, now listen to me, Kagome. We have to make sure that you know how to control your powers; otherwise it could be very dangerous. I want you to see me after your club activities everyday so I can teach you how to use your gift. You will see me during your summer break as well."

So that's what Kagome did. She met up with Kaede sensei after her activities to meditate while Souta waited patiently for his sister. They were happy that it'd take them longer to get home. And for the next 3 and a half years, Kagome practiced with Kaede sensei, even though Kagome had transfer to a junior high school.

Being in a new school meant new clubs and Kagome took it upon herself to expand her experiences. She was still in gymnastics, but now she was in kendo, karate, choir, and baking. Each day after school was a different activity, but she still went to see Kaede to enhance her miko powers. It wasn't until the summer before grade 9 that Kaede sensei told Kagome that she was leaving. She was offered a teaching position in Tokyo where the pay was much better.

"But what am I going to do when you're gone?"

"My child, you're going to be just fine, and you've done incredibly well with your training. You've learned how to control your powers quicker than I did when I was your age, Kagome."

"But I'm scared! I don't know if I can do it without you here by my side!"

"Kagome, you have to trust and believe in yourself. If you really set your mind to it, you can create anything and do so much more with your powers. You already know how to heal wounds and you're getting the hang of making energy balls. As long as you keep meditating, and remember everything I've taught you, you'll be fine," Kaede sensei said, placing her hand on the child's head to calm her down. "You don't need me anymore, Kagome. You got this."

And that was the last time Kagome saw her teacher. She never stopped her training and ever since she had learned how to treat wounds, Kagome would heal her mother after she passed out from her nightly abuse from her so called husband. And by the time she was 16, Kagome had just started high school and she had gotten a lot better with her gift.

One night Kagome and Souta came home to their mother screaming in terror. They both ran inside quickly to witness their mother being strangled on the safety railing from the second floor. The siblings ran up the stairs at full speed, Kagome tackling her dad to the floor and Souta rushing to aid their passed out mother.

"You ungrateful brat!" their father screamed as he smacked Kagome away, but she quickly got back up and stood in front of her family. "Get out of my way!"

"No! I won't let you hurt my mother anymore!"

"You are my daughter! Listen to me and move!"

"You are not my father! You're just some sick, son of a bitch monster!" Kagome screamed. "My father died when I was a child."

"Fine, I'll just get rid of you first," he said and he wrapped his hands around her neck quickly.

"Kagome!" Souta screamed and he ran to help his sister only to be kicked away.

"You stay out of this!"

"Sou..ta," Kagome struggled to say.

"All of you are so ungrateful towards me! I give you everything and I get no respect!"

"All you give us is pain and you don't deserve anything!" Souta screamed as he got back up and tackled his dad. Despite Souta's small frame and built, he managed to set his sister free from their dad's grasp. Kagome fell to the ground and gasped for air while Souta was pushed off and kicked repeatedly to keep him down. His sister quickly ran to his aid.

"Stop hurting my family!" she screamed and pushed her dad away. She was full of emotion and adrenaline that she lost control of her powers slightly. Kagome released enough power that when she shoved the man away, she shoved him out the window that was about 7 feet away. Not caring about the shattered window or the drunken man who fell two stories, she ran to her brother.

"I'm ok," Souta said. "Let's get mom to our room." They both carried their under weighted mother to their room and closed the door behind them, blocking it with the dresser.

The next morning the siblings woke up to find their mother gone, most likely went off to work. They both quickly left the room to see if _he_ was home. The window was still shattered, but no one was there. They sighed in relief and got ready for school. When they walked out the front door, strangers, neighbours, students and class mates walked by their home, looking at the mess of glass and wood, whispering.

Great. Rumours were going to spread like a forest fire; fast and out of control. The siblings gave each other a hug and said their good byes as Souta went to the building next to Kagome's high school. As soon as she entered the building, all she heard were whispers, and saw fingers pointed in her direction. She sighed and ignored everyone around her for the whole day. It was east since she had no friends. When school ended, Kagome made her way to the cooking classroom. She found a passion for baking in junior high and baked anytime she could while Souta was in soccer.

They took their time getting home as usual, no wanting to face the bastard that resides in the house. As they came closer to their home, a crowd of people and police cars were surrounding their front lawn. Worried, they ran to the scene.

"Look at the window."

"What happened?"

"I heard there's a dead woman in there."

People were talking about the scene when the siblings got closer to the house. As soon as they heard 'dead woman', they pushed their way to the crime scene. But a police officer stopped them from getting any further.

"But we live here!"

"Sorry, I still can't let you guys though."

Kagome and Souta managed to run pass the officers and ran into the house. They followed the voices and the camera flashes that came from the upstairs bathroom. Once there, they saw their mother, dead on the floor with a needle in her arm.

"Hey! You kids can't be in here!"

"That's our mother!"

"Oh, well I'm sorry you kids have to see this."

"What happened?"

"Seems like she over dosed on heroin."

"She's never done a drug in her life!"

"According to your father, she's been an addict for years, and she had a rage episode yesterday and busted the window."

"Excuse me? He said what?"

"He's in his bedroom if you two want to know everything."

The sibling made their way to the bedroom to see the evil bastard sitting on the bed 'crying' into his hands. To everybody else, they would see a man mourning over the loss of his wife, but to them, he was laughing.

"You lying, son of a bitch."

"We wish it was you on the bathroom floor." They left the bedroom, missing the evil grin upon his face.

It was raining on the day of the funeral. Not many people showed up, just them and a few co workers. Husband nowhere to be found. The siblings cried as they watched the coffin burned to ash. Workers ushered everyone out of the room since it'd take a while for it to burn down completely. When they got to the lobby, everyone left to go back to their own lives. The siblings stayed at the chapel, waiting, crying. A man in a suit came up to them and handed Kagome an envelope, explaining that he was their mother's lawyer and that Kagome was not to open the envelope until her 18th birthday.

At school the gossip wouldn't stop. Every hall way, every class room, every bathroom, the gossip wouldn't stop. Gossip turned into bullying. One student bothered Kagome about her mother's death, saying she was a drugged up hooker that was in desperate need of money for addiction, so she slept with him for a mere 10 dollars. Kagome lost it and sent the kid to the hospital.

To take her anger and torment out, Kagome enrolled into weapons and hand to hand combat classes at a local dojo. So every day after school, she and Souta would go to the dojo for her to train and for Souta to start in beginner's Karate class.

Kagome was now known as the most violent student at school, the one that would just start beating other students for no reason. But that wasn't true. She only fought students that start bullying her first. And so it became Kagome's daily routine for the next year and a half. Wake up, school, a fight here or there, train at the dojo for hours on end, meditate, and then stand up to her father.

Kagome then started grade 12 and Souta grade 9. On September 13th, they decided to skip school and bus to the beach, their mother's favourite place. It was Kagome's 18th birthday and they wanted to open the letter from their mother, together. They opened the envelope and read it silence. It turns out that their mother had saved up most of her money for the two of them, but Kagome couldn't have it until she was of legal age.

Their eyes lit up as they stared at the piece of paper. They looked at each other and though of the same thing. This was their chance to get out of there, to live their lives, to be free. They left the beach and made their way to the bank. They talked to the person who used to be their mother's accountant before she died. He transferred the money into Kagome's account and wished them luck. After that, they headed over to their schools to talk to the principal about transferring schools. Even though the principal hated Kagome, he helped her as best as he could so he wouldn't have to deal with her in his school anymore. He wanted her gone. Souta's school was a lot easier to talk to.

After dealing with the schools, they made their way to the train station. They were thinking about flying, but if they can save a couple of hundred bucks by taking the train, then what the heck. Kagome purchased two, one way night train tickets to Tokyo for her and her brother. They leave this afternoon.

They headed home, hoping that their father wasn't there. Hiding their tickets just in case, they walked inside their broken home. Luckily they were alone for the time being, so they packed as fast as they could. Since they didn't have much to begin with, it didn't take them that long to pack their clothes. Two back packs and a duffle bag is what they're bringing with them, filled mainly with clothes and some pictures of their mother along with her ashes.

The home phone started to ring and Kagome went to check the caller ID. It was a private number and she debated if she should answer it or not. What the hell, why not?

"Hello?" Kagome answered.

"Hello," a friendly male voice answered back. "May I speak with a Higurashi, Kagome please?"

"Speaking."

"My name is Inutashio, chairmen of the school board in Tokyo. I see that you and your brother were looking into transferring schools?"

"That is correct, sir."

"Well, Kagome. I've looked through your records and history and I must say it doesn't look very good."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that you are a very violent person and I cannot allow you to attend to me school."

"But, sir, it's not my fault! It was all self defense in a way, I swear!"

"Self defense?"

"Yes, sir. I've never started a fight, ever. I know I've sent a couple of kids to the hospital, or broke their bones, but that's because they always bully me first."

"And why do they bully you?"

Kagome paused for a moment, but answered truthfully. "Because my mother died and my father is dead beat, gambling, abusive, alcoholic," she said in soft voice. "Students made up rumours about my mother selling her body to pay off debts. My brother and I are abused enough as it is at home, we don't need it from school. Verbal or physical."

"I see. Well then, that kinda changes everything. I'll allow you kids to attend to my schools on one condition. You two must be in disguises."

"Disguises?"

"Yes, when are you two coming to Tokyo?"

"Our train leaves in a couple of hours. It says it'll take about 16 to 17 hours to get there."

"Ok, take down this number and call when you arrive. I'll send a driver to pick you up from the station. The three of us shall have a bite to eat while we discuss about the... arrangements?"

"Alright, what's the number?" Kagome wrote down the number she was told and said her good byes.

As soon as she hung up the phone, the door knob to the front door began to rattle. Kagome quickly ran back to her room and put her finger to her lips, telling brother to keep quiet. They opened the window and threw their bags on to the ground, except for Kagome's back pack which contained their mother's ashes. The siblings quickly and quietly climbed down the drain pipe and made a run for the bus stop a couple of blocks away after grabbing their bags.

After waiting for about 10 minutes, they hopped on the bus and made their way downtown. Since their train wasn't leaving for a while, they decided to get something to eat and some snacks for the long train ride. They also called their grandfather to let him know what was going on and that they'll be at his place sometime tomorrow, also apologizing for the very short notice.

At 3:45 pm, the siblings boarded the train and found an empty compartment. By 4 pm, the train whistled and started to move slowly. They both looked out the window and smiled. By 8 am tomorrow morning, they'll be in Tokyo. Freedom.

Around 8:27 the next morning, the train came to a stop and Kagome woke up her brother. Once off the train, they found a pay phone and Kagome dialed the number she had written down. They waited for about 15 minutes before spotting a man holding a sign that said 'Higurashi'. They walked over to the man and gave a slight bow, and he smiled in return, then leading them out of the station and towards a limo that was parked outside.

Both siblings stared wide eyed at each other, Souta with excitement in his and confusion in Kagome's. After stepping into the limo, Souta explored every inch and Kagome just sat down and relaxed for the ride. The vehicle came to a halt in front of an old school looking diner and the door opened for them to get out. They stepped out and walked into the restaurant.

"Ah! Higurahis!" Inutashio called out as he waved his hand. Kagome walked towards him as Souta went to the bathroom. She politely bowed and he did the same. "Thank you for meeting me here."

"Thank you for re-considering us," Kagome said as she took a seat on the opposite bench. "Please excuse my brother; he really had to use the bathroom."

"Oh, it's not a problem at all. When you gotta go, you gotta go," he said as he smiled and handed Kagome two menus, waiting for Souta to join them.

"Hello," Souta greeted as he walked up to the table and a server came by and asked if they were ready to order.

"Another couple of minutes would be nice," Inutashio said and the server nodded and walked off. "Please, order anything you like; my treat."

"Oh, we can pay for-,"Kagome started but was cut off.

"I insist," Inutashio interrupted. "This place may be old, but they make the best breakfast in the city. I won't take no for an answer."

"Alight right then," the siblings looks through the menu and everyone ordered when the server came back.

"So, tell me everything from the start," Inutashio said.

And so the Higurashi siblings began to tell the story of their childhood. The perfect family that became broken. The abusive, drunken, cheating, gambling monster that they believed murdered their mother, the miko powers and the bullying from everyone.

"Well, you two have been through a lot," the demon said and they nodded. "So, as I have mentioned before over the phone, I'll allow you two to attend to my schools as long as you are in disguises. This is just to protect you and other students from your identity."

"Protect us and others?" Kagome questioned.

"Yes, you see, news and rumours of you have traveled far, Kagome. Students at Tokyo High know who you are," Inutashio explained. "If you were to disguise yourself, no one would confront you, and no one would be afraid either. Understand?"

"Yes, that makes sense," Kagome said. "But Souta is harmless, why him as well?"

"It's just a precaution. So we have an agreement?" Inutashio asked as he stuck out his hand for a shake.

Kagome looked at his hand and then looked at him, taking in his physical features. His long silver white hair, pulled back into a high pony tail, showing off his pointed ears, and a magenta stripe across both of his cheeks. She looked back at his hand, noticing his pointed claws. Souta nudged his sister to get her attention and back into reality. They shared a look and gave a small nod to each other.

"Agreed," they said and Kagome shook Inutashio's hand while Souta's hand was placed on top of both.

Kagome looked at Inutashio, who smiled with a fang. She looked into his golden eyes and saw something she hasn't seen in a stranger in a very, very long time. Trust.

* * *

Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!


End file.
